Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 64406 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 322(@200wpm)___ 258(@250wpm)___ 215(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 64406 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 322(@200wpm)___ 258(@250wpm)___ 215(@300wpm)
Winter narrowed her gaze. “A better question is, why aren’t the three of you surprised?”
“Zach saw footage of the incident and the video camera caught the driver’s face. He had friends run it through facial recognition software. We were coming to tell you.” Harrison raised an eyebrow at the senator. “Your turn.”
He sighed, his shoulders drooping. “Collette called Winter while we were here. She let the call go to voice mail. We played it. My… wife, threatened Winter and the baby, and admitted what she’d done.”
Harrison turned to Winter, his eyes wide. “Are you kidding me?”
She shook her head and winced, and he brushed a tear off her cheek.
“My friend, Remy, turned the video over to the police.” Zach glanced around the room. “In case anyone had the inclination to hide the truth,” he said, his gaze coming to rest on the senator.
The other man shook his head.
“We need to give them the voice mail, too,” Derek said.
Nikki sniffed and nodded.
Winter remained silent. It wasn’t her mother who’d put them through this agony. Although Winter had been hurt and traumatized, her half-siblings were going through their own emotional pain.
And a part of her felt responsible. “I’m sorry.” Winter hadn’t intended to say the words out loud. “If I’d never come here, if I hadn’t told you who I am…”
“Something else would have made my mother snap,” Derek answered immediately.
Nikki pulled out of Asher’s grasp, walked over to Winter and put her head on her shoulder. “You are my sister. If you never came here, I still wouldn’t have a mother who loves me the way she should. I wouldn’t have a father who sees what he did wrong.”
From across the room, the senator drew in a sharp breath.
“And I wouldn’t have you,” Nikki said softly. “I love you, Winter. So don’t you dare blame yourself.”
Winter hugged her back, ignoring the pain in her head from the movement as emotion lodged in her throat. “I love you, too.”
And she hadn’t missed that Nikki had taken a step toward reconciling with their father.
Nikki cleared his throat and treated the senator to a shaky smile. As a start, Winter would take it.
“This is not okay,” a female nurse said, striding into the room, her face pinched in disapproval. “The patient cannot handle this much noise and stimulation. I don’t care if one of you is a famous actor who pulled strings to get a private room, and another is a United States senator. There are too many people in here.” She looked around, eyeing each visitor through her narrowed gaze.
“I’m a former senator,” her father said, somehow breaking the tension and causing Derek and Nikki to laugh. “Besides, I need to get going. I’m going to get in touch with the authorities.”
The nurse nodded. “Good. I’ll leave while you all say your goodbyes. But I will check back.” She straightened her shoulders and walked out of the room.
The senator turned and gave Derek a fatherly hug before walking to where Asher stood protectively beside Nikki. “Winter, take care of yourself, and I’ll be in touch to see how you are feeling. But… may I take your phone to turn it in to the police?”
“Not before I get a copy of that voice mail,” Zach said, his distrust of the senator obvious.
Winter didn’t blame him. She wasn’t sure what he intended either, though she hoped he wouldn’t try and protect his wife.
Zach picked up Winter’s cell without asking for permission. After using her for facial recognition, he sent himself the voice mail and handed the phone to her father. “Share it with yourself and let her keep her phone.”
Her father laughed uncomfortably. “I’m not sure how.”
Zach sent the incriminating evidence to the senator’s phone and put the device on the counter.
He smiled at Winter, then turned. “Nikki, take care, and I hope to hear from you.”
Her sister’s eyes widened at his use of her preferred name and glistened with more tears. “Are you going to help… her?” Nikki asked. “Protect her from the consequences of her actions?”
He straightened his sport coat and faced Nikki. “I’m going to make sure Collette pays for what she’s done. And I do want her to get the help she needs. But I am not going back to her, nor can I forgive her for everything she’s deprived me of.” His warm gaze came to rest on Winter. “I’m still working on forgiving myself for all I allowed to happen. Anyway, I’ll talk to you all soon.”
He strode out of the room without looking back.
Winter was so tired she could barely keep her eyes open.
“We’ll go, too.” Asher hooked his elbow through Nikki’s. “We have a lot to discuss,” he said, and Nikki nodded.
They said their goodbyes and walked out, leaving Winter worried about her sister. But she knew Asher would take care of her.